Video - Rare glimpse into Gaddafi forces. Exclusive footage obtained by Al Jazeera exposes the conduct of Libyan leader's army.Read and see the full story here.

Barak: 750,000 citizens in bomb shelters is unacceptable.Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday said that "Hamas, from our point of view, is responsible for everything that happens in the [Gaza] Strip and for all of the [terrorist] organizations that operate there."Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, he added, "we will not accept actions that harm our citizens, actions like the firing on the bus, or attempts to put three-quarter of a million citizens in bomb shelters." The defense minister was referring to an incident on Thursday when an anti-tank missile was fired at a school bus, leaving a 16-year-old in critical condition and the firing of over 120 rockets and mortar shells over the weekend.Despite calls coming from both Hamas and Defense Minister Ehud Barak for a ceasefire, Netanyahu reiterated that the IDF would not tolerate attacks on Israeli citizens, and would respond fully. "If Israeli citizens continue to come under attack, the response will be much harsher," Netanyahu said. The prime minister's praise for the Iron Dome rocket defense system came as the United States was expected to transfer $205 million to Israel for the purchase and deployment of additional Iron Dome batteries, Army Radio cited the security establishment as saying Sunday.Though the $205 million in funds will aid Israel to continue to deploy Iron Dome batteries, with the hopes of providing increased defense to Israel's more heavily populated civilian areas, greater funding is still required to adequately expand the defense system, which has cost an estimated $210 million thus far. Since its inception, many top security and military officials have said that Iron Dome only distracts from necessary offensive military actions against Hamas.Read the full story here.

Black student leaders slam 'apartheid' characterization.Letter says "decency, justice and hope compel us to demand immediate cessation to deliberate misappropriation of words."NEW YORK – African-American student leaders from a variety of historically black colleges and universities took out full page ads in numerous American college newspapers Thursday, displaying an “Open Letter to Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP),” to convey that they were offended by SJP’s use of the term “apartheid” at recent Israel Apartheid Week events at campuses across the country.

The 16 signatories to the letter are students and alumni from historically black colleges and universities who are members of the Vanguard Leadership Group, a leadership development academy and honor society for top students. The letter ran or is slated to run in student newspapers at Brown University, University of California- Los Angeles, University of Maryland and Columbia University over the next few days.

“The Students for Justice in Palestine’s labeling of Israel, an extremely diverse and vibrant country, as an apartheid state is not only false, but offensive,” Vanguard President Michael Hayes told The Jerusalem Post. “Additionally, this rhetoric does absolutely nothing to help Israel-Palestine negotiations or relations. We feel this type of action serves to hinder the peace process domestically and abroad, and have made it our priority to take a stand to shift the tide of understanding.”In a statement released by the Vanguard Leadership Group as to why they authored the open letter to SJP, Vanguard described itself as “proudly involved in the pro-Israel movement in America.“The use of the word ‘apartheid’ by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in its characterization of Israel is patently false and deeply offensive to all who feel a connection to the state of Israel,” the letter reads. “Your organization’s campaign against Israel is spreading misinformation about its policies, fostering bias in the media and jeopardizing prospects for a timely resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Such irresponsibility is a blemish on your efforts."The letter continues to state that “[p]laying the ‘apartheid card’ is a calculated attempt to conjure up images associated with the racist South African regimes of the 20th century,” and calls the strategy “as transparent as it is base.”“Beyond that, it is highly objectionable to those who know the truth about the Israelis’ record on human rights and how it so clearly contrasts with South Africa’s,” the letter reads, noting that under apartheid, black South Africans had no rights in a country in which they were the majority of the population.Saying that the analogy manipulates rather than informs, the letter requests SJP to “immediately stop referring to Israel as an apartheid society and to acknowledge that the Arab minority in Israel enjoys full citizenship with voting rights and representation in the government.”“Decency, justice, and the hope of peace and reconciliation in the Middle East compel us to demand an immediate cessation to the deliberate misappropriation of words and of the flagrant mischaracterizations of Israel,” the letter concludes. “Your compliance with this request will be viewed as a responsible and appropriate first step toward raising the level of discourse.”Hmmmm.......The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.Martin Luther King, Jr.Read the full story here.

HT:Imra.Israeli Diplomat Guides Jordanian Armored Vehicle To Safety in Abidjan.
Acting Ambassador Daniel Saada and 3 other Israeli diplomats were rescued under heavy gunfire from the capital Abidjan and will return to Israel on Sunday.An Israeli diplomat was injured while being rescued from the conflict-torn capital of the Ivory Coast over the weekend. A United Nations force, which included Jordanian soldiers with armored personnel carriers, evacuated the Israelis under heavy crossfire.Four Israeli diplomats were in the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan when the already-bloody conflict between backers of president-elect Alassane Ouattara and supporters of incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo exploded.The diplomats had been holed up in the ambassador's residence, but were evacuated for fear that soldiers would take over the residence, something that had already happened to the Japanese ambassador to the Ivory Coast.Armed United Nations soldiers and vehicles arrived to evacuate the Israeli diplomats under heavy crossfire. The four Israeli diplomats ran outside and jumped onto the armored personnel carrier as it was in motion.In their hasty escape, Acting Ambassador Daniel Saada fell from one of the vehicles and was injured. One of the UN forces' medics determined that Saada's injuries were serious, and called for the fastest possible evacuation.The UN forces then lost their way on the streets of Abidjan and were unable to return to base. Deputy Ambassador Elad Ratzon then entered the first vehicle, which was being driven by Jordanian soldiers under UN command. Ratzon explained to the soldiers in Arabic how to leave the area and directed them back to the UN base.Acting Ambassador Saada was examined by medical personnel at the UN base, and the decision was made to immediately transfer the Israeli diplomats to Abidjan airport by helicopter, in order to evacuate them as soon as possible so that Saada could receive appropriate medical care.A UN plane filled with other diplomats and foreign nationals waited for the Israeli diplomats to arrive before taking off for Accra, the capital of nearby Ghana. The diplomats then received medical attention in Ghana, where it was deduced that Saada's injuries were only light.The Israeli diplomats were flown from Ghana to the United Kingdom late Friday night and will return to Israel on Sunday.Hmmmm.....The 'Jooooos' did it.Read the full story here.

Discrimination remains at forefront of Turkish society, slain journalist's wife says.Discrimination based on ethnic or religious background remains persistent in all facets of Turkish state and society, according to Rakel Dink, the widow of slain journalist Hrant Dink.“A schoolbook in Armenian has been [introduced] to the curriculum for primary schools, but [it is not enough],” Dink said Saturday at the Building Peace conference at Istanbul Bilgi University.“The Kurdish language, which I speak, is still politically banned. Being a Christian is another concern in this country, nobody knows what is said to Christians every day,” she said.“How will discriminatory and racist speeches, moves, plans and projects be collected, removed, wrapped up and thrown into the garbage can in this country?” Rakel Dink asked, adding that all pressure against people made them turn in upon themselves, thus shutting themselves off from society.Dink also said nobody intended to apologize for terming the participants in the 2005 conference as “enemies.”“They might even say ‘enemies have gathered’ for this meeting. As long as an apology won’t be made, everything can happen again,” she said, referring to the Sept. 6-7 events of 1955, in which shops, houses, and churches belonging to the non-Muslim minorities, especially Greeks, were targeted in a coordinated pogrom.“Fears, anger, rage, jealousies, hatreds, prejudices and insecurity makes all of us even smaller,” she said, adding that people in Turkey were “poisoning” themselves with lies they try to believe. “There will be no change without maturity, although it might be painful and frightening.”“How can there be the thought of peace of without justice?” she said, adding that deferred punishments encouraged criminals and provided incentives for crimes to be committed. “We [know] the rapists and killers in our country. Do not show off by saying we are a social and a democratic state, a state of law.”Turkey is also a global “expert” in writing “reports full of lies” in the wake of catastrophic and painful social events, Dink said.Hmmmm.....Turkey....Obama's favorite ally.Read the full story here.

Egypt prosecutor summons Hosni Mubarak.Sequesters land belonging to billionaire Prince AlWaleed.Egypt's public prosecutor summonned ousted president Hosni Mubarak as part of investigations into the killing of protesters and embezzlement of public funds, the prosecutor said on Sunday. Mubarak's sons Gamal and Alaa were also summoned in the embezzlement probe, the prosecutor said in a statement, adding that comments by Mubarak on Sunday in which he denied accusations of corruption would not affect the investigations. Mubarak said on Sunday the allegations against his family were unfounded and he had the right to defend his reputation.Egypt's public prosecutor said on Sunday also said it had sequestered land belonging to Saudi billionaire Prince AlWaleed bin Talal at Toshka in the south of the country. The land is part of a desert reclamation project using water pumped from the reservoir behind Egypt's Aswan High Dam and delivered by canal.Hmmmm....It seems not only the Israelis are 'benefitting' from the winds of 'change'?Read the full story here.More here.

HT:TheWhitehouseDossier.Gone Golfin’.by Keith Koffler.Yes indeed he has. Golf outing number 63, for those of you keeping score at home. From the pool report, by my dryly humored friend Steve Thomma of McClatchy.I’m particularly relieved since I promised to eat my computer yesterday if he didn’t go today.Motorcade arrived at the golf course at Andrews at 10:50 am EDT.The president’s foursome will include Eric Whitaker, David Katz and Marvin Nicholson.Assuming they tee off soon, they should make it back to the clubhouse, or the White House, in plenty of time to watch the final holes of the Masters.Hmmmm......"I will not rest"?Read the full story here.

EU to warn Turkey on press freedom.The European Union is expected to convey a series of warnings to Turkey during the next meeting of the EU-Turkey Association Council, which will be held in Brussels on April 19.Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is scheduled to attend the meeting of the council, which is reportedly getting ready to draw attention to a host of issues, ranging from press freedom to energy security, mentioned in a draft document of the EU Common Implementation Strategy.On the issue of press freedom, the EU report maintained a critical stance, calling on Turkey to enact further legislation in order to better harmonize its laws with the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, while expressing concern over the recent arrests of journalists, bans on certain Internet sites and the seizure of a draft manuscript.The increasing trend of self-censorship among journalists was also mentioned as a source of concern.Regarding the Kurdish issue, the document said the EU regrets that the democratic initiative and measures announced by the government in 2009 in order to address the Kurdish problem have not met expectations. On Cyprus issue, it reminds that despite all the calls coming from the European Union, Turkey has refused to open its ports to ships with Greek Cypriot flags. “The fact that Turkey has not made any step will influence the entire negotiations,” said the document.Hmmmm.....Keep Turkey out of the European union!Read the full story here.

Turkish PM's daughter walks out on play with 'undesirable elements'.Claims that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s daughter Sümeyye walked out on a theatrical performance that insulted her have caused an uproar in the capital.Sümeyye left a performance of “Youth Osman” staged Friday by the Ankara State Theaters because she was insulted by some scenes in the play, daily Radikal reported Sunday.Sources from the state theaters said the play contained some “undesirable elements” and that an investigation was being launched into the claims.The “insult” reportedly stemmed from an incident of eye contact between Sümeyye and one of the performers, who allegedly winked at the prime minister’s daughter.Sources said the play was performed in a way faithful to the original text, and that audience members did not know Sümeyye was among them. Along with Sümeyye and the people accompanying her, a 150-person police group that was also watching the performance left the hall as well, according to sources.Hmmmm.......Welcome to dictatorship...no winking or smiling allowed?Read the full story here.

HT:Ross'sRightAngle.Jakarta going 'baconless'.Has anybody been trying to buy bacon in Jakarta recently?A futile quest in most kampungs, for they are mostly 95+% Muslim and even if there are unobservant devotees of that creed in the vicinity, they wouldn’t want to be caught purchasing forbidden piggy by the local bigoted busybodies.However, elsewhere, bacon and all pork products ought to be available, for there are about ten percent of Jakarta’s population that are Christian, Buddhist or Hindu, not counting the foreigners working here. That must surely amount to a million or more people.

Yet go to Blok M Plaza, walk round Giant Supermarket, no joy.

Go to Lotte Mart, at Ratu Plaza, no joy.

Go to Blok M Square, go up top to the food court, to Gang Kelinci resto, and here’s the sign you’ll see. Peer closely – the green oval in the middle – No Pork!

Go back downstairs, to Carrefour, still no joy.What kind of customer service is this? Especially from Carrefour!I can go to Carrefour here in West Jakarta and buy all the rashers I can carry, presumably since there is a large Chinese population around these parts (unlike the Lotte in West Jakarta which ignores its non-Muslim customers’ tastes – in West Jakarta as well as down town!)Nobody need be disturbed by my modest requirements. As Jakarta residents know, our beloved ‘haram’ goodies are always sequestered from wholesome ‘halal’ products, so infidel delights do not affront the faithful.Blok M and Ratu Plaza are cosmopolitan districts, peopled by all sorts, of every ethnic and religious type. All should be catered for!C’mon, managements, get the finger out, scrap sectarian service policies and let us bring home the bacon!Read the full story here.

HT:Wired.Rocket War: 36,000 DIY Missiles vs. Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’.Israel is once again under rocket attack. But the few weapons being flung at it from their enemies in the south — Hamas — could be just a preview of a much larger rocket war in the north, courtesy of Hezbollah. Israel’s response to the missile threat: a next-gen rocket-blaster and a covert program of sabotage and assassination.WikiLeaks shared some of its classified State Department cables with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. In the cables published today, Israeli intelligence officials tell their American diplomats they expect Hezbollah will launch between 24,000 to 36,000 rockets against it for over two months. That would be a big step up from the 2006 war which lasted 34 days and saw 4,000 rockets hit Israel. Israeli officials quoted in the cables also said that they expect the rocket fire to reach farther into Israel, saying that the terrorist group will target Tel Aviv, which wasn’t hit during the last round of fighting.To mitigate some of Hezbollah’s missile threat, Israel is expected to deploy its Iron Dome anti-rocket missiles on its northern border with Lebanon alongside its Arrow long range ballistic missile defense system. In the meantime, Israel has rushed Iron Dome to the southern border with Gaza last month to meet Hamas’ rocket fire. Since then, it has scored its first successes, taking out two rockets yesterday and three today headed towards the southern city of Ashkelon. But Iron Dome’s protection comes at a price. The advanced radar-guided system uses missiles to knock out cheap, sometimes DIY rockets at short range — and costs at least $25,000 per missile fired and $50 million per battery. Facing an arsenal of thousands of Hezbollah rockets up north, Iron Dome could quickly rack up a hefty bill in the event of another war.Israel is also turning to covert operations to disrupt Hamas’s supply of rockets. The Washington Times‘ Eli Lake reported late yesterday that an attack on a Hamas arms convoy in Sudan this week, the assassination of a Hamas official in Dubai in 2010 and the kidnapping of a Palestinian engineer in Europe, said to have designed rockets for Hamas, were all part of a covert Israeli policy of “intelligence-based prevention” against Hamas. During the last Gaza war, Israel struggled between its desire to project a ferocious deterrent image and still be seen as being responsible in its targeting practices. The aim of the new covert policy, Lake reports, is to avoid some of the condemnation Israel faced for the deaths of civilians during the Gaza war by narrowing its focus on select Hamas figures abroad.Read the full story here.

HT:Northeast Intelligence Network.The Islamic Threat to Our Children.By Sean Osborne.10 April 2011: Something’s are worth repeating. Over and over and over again with the hope that eventually the warning sinks in and our society as a whole brings wakes up to bring about the changes necessary of effect meaningful deterrence to a clear and present danger to our most beloved of all – our children. My concern about this issue is always acute in the fall when schools re-open after summer recess and now in the spring when warm temperatures exponentially increase outdoor school activities. Recent events I am about to bring to your attention serve to heighten my concerns at this time. To begin with and for reference, please click on and ‘save as’ one my favorite studies on this subject: “The Threat of Terrorism to U.S. Schools…Fact or Fiction” of August 2007 by Lt. Michael D. Baray of the Murrieta (California) Police Department.

Just over four years ago I wrote a follow-up warning regarding Islamic terrorists and school buses which was part of a chain of warnings that began on this website in 2004 and continued through to 2008 and the Northeast Intelligence Network published “Chilling Arabic Communication: “When School Bus Turns to Hell Bus.” These Beslan in America type warnings are repeatedly read and then forgotten until something along the lines of what occurred just days ago in Israel when a just emptied school bus was hit by an anti-tank rocket. Had this attack occurred moments earlier it would have been a “hell bus;” a “Beslan” on wheels in other words. Incidentally, please say a prayer for 16-year old Daniel Aryeh ben Tamar who remains in critical condition as a result of this terrorist attack on a school bus.

Over shadowed by this attack and the ongoing low intensity warfare between the HAMAS terrorists and Israel was another Islamic-inspired massacre of innocents inside a school that saw nearly a dozen children shot to death in cold blood and the wounding of 15 others between the ages of 9 and 14-years old . The school was not in Israel, but in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Islamic Jihad-inspired assailant was a 24-year old former student at the Tasso de Silveira School who gained admittance to the school by posing as someone who intended to give a motivational talk to the students. Instead of a motivational talk the terrorist pulled two hand guns and promptly began his slaughter.

Closer to home, we have the New York State Education Department declaring as non-credible an anarchists email which made “specific threats of violence to New York state office buildings, the state Legislature and school buses.” Anarchists like this obvious nutcase are no different than vermin like Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols who worked hand-in-hand with Middle Eastern terrorists to execute their assaults upon ourselves and our children. Heed this screed my fellow Americans, the life you have to potential save by being alert and observant may be yours or your neighbor’s child if not your own.Hmmmm.....How long before the first US case?Read the full story here.

Terror Tweeting, Brought To You By Homeland Security.Be relieved. You’ve made it through airport security with more than enough time before your flight boards. Go to the bar and order a drink. Wi-Fi’s inexplicably good here, so you might as well check Twitter. Suddenly @DHS lets you know: OMG UR ABOUT 2 DIE.Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s been embarrassed by the color coded terror alert system for most of her tenure. And justifiably so: it’s simultaneously alarmist and insipid, telling you nothing useful about what to do when the alert goes from Salmon to Fuchsia. But even though the Department of Homeland Security is junking the terror coloring book, don’t expect its newest plan to relieve your terror anxiety.That’s because the new terror alerts — more targeted and more informative — are coming directly to your social network of choice. A plan for the new system recommends sharing threat information over Twitter and Facebook. That way, explains the Associated Press, which reviewed the undisclosed plan, “an ‘imminent’ alert would warn about a credible, specific and impending terrorist threat or an on-going attack against the U.S.” All to your mobile! Lucky you!DHS has reserved the Twitter account @NTASAlerts (for National Threat Advisory System). It hasn’t tweeted anything yet, but it’s got 1,966 followers as of this writing.Not all its alerts will be particularly specific. Some would simply warn people to be on alert for unattended baggage or other items that everyone already knows to watch out for, thanks to the “see something, say something” campaigns. But they’d come with an expiration date, so you can know just how long to freak out.Hmmmm.....What if twitter gets hacked,do i call Wall-Mart?Read the full story here.

HT:Memri.Kuwaiti Daily: Iran Tried to Assassinate Shi'ite Leaders in the Gulf.The Kuwaiti daily Al-Watan reports that a secret cooperative effort by Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia thwarted an Iranian plot to assassinate Shi'ite leaders in these countries and then frame the regimes of perpetrating the killings in order to incite Shi'ite populations there against these regimes. It also reported that Kuwait foiled an attempt by an Iranian espionage network to blow up one of the country's central oil pipelines.Read the full story here.

HT:Memri.Signs Erected in Jerusalem Indicating Arabic Names of Streets and Neighborhoods.The organization Aafaq Al-Quds has begun erecting signs bearing the original Arabic names of Palestinian streets and neighborhoods in East Jerusalem as part of its campaign of resistance against the Judaization of the city. Yesterday, April 9, a sign reading "Farouk Street," after the epithet of Islamic caliph 'Omar bin Al-Khattab, was erected south of Jerusalem's Old City, close to the Jabel Mukaber neighborhood, where the caliph is said to have cried out "Allahu Akbar" on setting out to capture the city.Read the full story here.

HT:TheStrategyPage.The New Chinese Missile Looks Very Familiar.April 10, 2011: China recently introduced, for the export market, the M20 ballistic missile. This is a system where two of these 3-4 ton missiles are carried on a large truck transporter/launcher. What is worrisome to Russia is that the M20 looks very similar to the Russian Iskander (9K720) system. Increasingly, Russia has accused China of stealing a great deal of Russian military technology, and warned of repercussions if China tried to sell these copies to the export market. China has had plenty of time to steal Iskander's secrets. So far, China has not revealed details of the M20s operation sufficiently to make detailed comparisons with Iskander. But if the M20 contains too many of the Iskander special features, there could be, if not war, then litigation. Russia originally planned to build at least five brigades of Iskander (60 launchers, each with two missiles, plus reloads, which could amount to over a 150 missiles). Iskander was just entering commercial production three years ago, and only three brigades are believed in service. One was deployed near St Petersburg, much to the consternation of nearby Estonia.Russian missile production capabilities have sharply deteriorated since the end of the Cold War in 1991. This is one reason why the current Russian government is making so much noise about this imaginary NATO plot to surround and subdue Russia. Losing the Cold War did not go down well in Russia. Rather than forget and move on, many Russians prefer to remember, and use the imagined evil intentions of their Cold War foes to explain away defects in the Russian character.This threatened Russian deployment to Kaliningrad was all about a unique feature of Iskander, which is that it is not a traditional ballistic missile. That is, it does not fire straight up, leave the atmosphere, then come back down, following a ballistic trajectory. Instead, Iskander stays in the atmosphere and follows a rather flat trajectory. It is capable of evasive maneuvers and deploying decoys. This makes it more difficult for anti-missile systems to take it down. Russia is buying a special version (Iskanders-M) for its own military. This version has a longer range (400 kilometers) and more countermeasures (to interception). Russia will not provide details. Russia has admitted that it could use Iskander to destroy the U.S. anti-missile systems in a pre-emptive attack. Just in case Russia wanted to start World War III for some reason or another. This threatened Iskander deployment was mainly a publicity stunt, unless you want to seriously consider the possibility that the Russians are trying to start a nuclear war.The small (200 square kilometers, 400,000 Russians, the Germans were expelled 60 years ago) city is still the headquarters of the Russian Baltic fleet and protected by a large force of troops and warplanes. The Iskander missiles would feel right at home.Read the full story here.

Residents are temporarily returning to the government-designated evacuation zone near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to collect belongings needed for their new lives elsewhere, despite the radiation risk. An elderly couple living within the zone, meanwhile, said they noticed increased vehicle traffic since the start of April and lights turned on at some homes in the neighborhood. Due to radiation fears after the March 11 quake and tsunami smashed the nuclear power plant, the Japanese government has asked people within 20 kilometers of the nuclear plant to evacuate and those in the 20-30 km ring to stay indoors or "voluntarily leave" the area, where it is getting difficult to live a normal life due to a lack of goods and services. The city of Minamisoma, part of which straddles both zones, is planning to start schools near the outside of these designated areas, as local officials say residents are beginning to return to the 20-30 km ring zone. One of those who recently made a return trip to the 20-km evacuation zone is a 44-year-old company employee who has been taking shelter in Tochigi Prefecture. "Even if I want to start a new life, I just don't have money and get no support from the authorities," he said. "There was no other option."

The man, from Namie, about 7 kilometers from the plant, said he started the trip by car Tuesday night together with a sister and a cousin, both from Futaba town, next to Namie. Just before entering the evacuation zone Wednesday morning, they wore two layers of raincoats, gloves, masks and shoes covered with plastic bags. After dropping the sister and the cousin in Futaba, 4 km from the plant, he entered Namie. "It was bizarre. So quiet and eerie," he said. No one was seen in the town where he used to live. Tsunami-damaged buildings were left untouched, he said. He said he just picked up his health insurance card, TV, suits, some clothes and shoes along with a photo album. He said he saw several other cars carrying household items like his on his way to pick up his relatives He returned to his shelter at around 9 p.m. Wednesday, feeling exhausted. He said he was relieved radiation screening after the trip turned out to be negative.

According to Fukushima Prefecture, traffic is restricted at the 20 km boundary on major roads manned by police officers who urge people to keep out, but have no legal binding power attached to the government's evacuation directive. Many people have been reentering the zone through back roads, according to prefectural officials. The elderly couple, living around 19 km north of Fukushima Daiichi in Minamisoma city, told Kyodo News over the phone that they have electricity and can get water from a well. "Nothing has changed in town but people are gone." The woman, 67, was working in Tokyo on March 11, while her 75-year-old partner was at home in Minamisoma with his six horses. His home was designated part of the evacuation zone on the night of March 12. The man evacuated at first, but after meeting up with his partner in Tokyo, they decided to return on March 18, although they "feared radiation," they said. The man said they went outdoors on March 24 and saw police officers in protective gear patrolling. After one week, he started to see animal welfare groups in the town where pet dogs were left unattended and felt less threatened by radiation and wondered about the significance of the 20 km zoning.

From April 1 on, car traffic increased and lights were turned on in some homes in the neighborhood, he said. Life is inconvenient for them, nonetheless. Gas supplies have been halted. They have to go once every week for grocery shopping at a super market 20 km away by car. The town hospital remains closed. On April 6, they underwent radiation screening that showed they were both negative. At home they do not even wear masks, they said, adding that they had noticed people returning. The Minamisoma city government is planning to resume school for primary and middle school pupils in late April, officials said Saturday. People are returning to the 20-30 km zone even though the government recommends people leave voluntarily, they said. Of the zone's roughly 6,000 pupils, around 1,700 are currently staying in the zone or near it. Many school buildings in the city have been damaged by the quake and are not ready for reopening even after Wednesday, which was supposed to be the starting day for the new school year. The city is planning to use four school buildings confirmed safe just outside the ring zone. In order to reduce pupils' exposure to the air when they come to school and go home, the city is planning to run school buses. While the central government is considering designating the 20-30 km ring an evacuation zone, a city official said of their schooling plan, "It is a desperate measure to provide children with chances to learn and is not intended to call citizens back to the city."

Egypt: Army crackdown in Cairo's Tahrir Square.Egypt's army has cracked down on protests in Cairo's symbolic Tahrir Square, leaving at least one person dead and dozens injured.The violence occurred overnight as the army tried to clear protesters calling for ex-President Hosni Mubarak and his family to be tried for corruption.The injured suffered gunshot wounds but the army denies using live rounds.Tahrir Square became the symbolic centre of protests that led to Mr Mubarak stepping down this year.Egypt's health ministry has so far confirmed that one person died overnight and says 71 people were hurt.Medical sources told news agencies that at least two people had died.Protesters have now returned to the square following the army withdrawal and are continuing demonstrations.In an apparent concession to the protesters the ruling military council announced on Saturday that it would replace a number of provincial governors appointed by Mr Mubarak - another demand of the demonstrators.However, the army also said it was "ready" to use force to clear the square and allow normal life to resume."Tahrir Square will be emptied of protesters with firmness and force to ensure life goes back to normal," Major General Adel Emarah, of the military council, told a news conference.The army had maintained a generally neutral role in the earlier mass demonstrations.But about 300 troops moved into the square at about 0300 local time (0100 GMT) on Saturday to break up a camp in the centre.Protesters say they were beaten with clubs and shots were fired.An army spokesman told Reuters news agency that only blanks were used.Three vehicles, two of them military, were set on fire during the unrest.The protesters were demanding a number of measures, including the resignation of the man who has replaced Mr Mubarak as interim leader, Field Marshal Mohamad Hussein Tantawi."Tantawi is Mubarak and Mubarak is Tantawi," they chanted.The military force finally withdrew and protesters began to reoccupy the square in daylight.Read and see the full story here.

Is the president off his meds?ABC News reported that the president stopped his motorcade, got out and ran up the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial to greet tourists.From ABC News, President Obama told them: “Because Congress was able to settle its differences that’s why this place is open today and everybody’s able to enjoy their visit. And that’s the kind of future cooperation I hope we have going forward ‘cause this is what America is all about — everybody from different places enjoying those things that bind us together.”Had a Democratic Congress passed the budget in September, the issue never would have been raised.From Lucianne Goldberg: “Mildly troubling behavior.”But the ABC News report may have mistaken a planned event for spontaneity.From Carol Lee of the Wall Street Journal: “President Barack Obama played tourist Saturday afternoon in what looked a lot like a retail campaign stop at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.”Well, that’s a relief. When he starts talking to Lincoln’s picture, I’ll worry.Hmmmm.....I would call it also a 'worrying' behaviour.Read the full story here.

WWIII to be launched?Arab League wants Gaza no-fly zone.Amr Mussa to ask UN that same sanction imposed on Libya be implemented against Israel. Meanwhile, Turkey strongly condemns 'excessive and disproportionate reprisals of Israel that have injured and killed civilians'.Arab League Chief Amr Mussa said Sunday that the organization would ask the United Nations Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Gaza, which Israel has pounded with air strikes in response to rocket fire.Turkey on Sunday denounced what it termed Israel's "excessive and disproportionate" strikes on Gaza in retaliation for a Palestinian antitank missile attack last week. "We strongly condemn the excessive and disproportionate reprisals of Israel that have injured and killed civilians in Gaza," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement urging Israel to employ good sense and moderation. "The region cannot be allowed to enter into a new spiral of violence," it added.Relations between Israel and Turkey, once close allies, have sharply deteriorated in recent years amid Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's frequent outbursts against Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.Hmmmm.....Turkey ...Iran's henchman together with Hamas "Axes of evil"anyone?Read the full story here.

Obama to recall US troops from Europe.President Barack Obama has decided to reduce the US military’s permanent presence in Europe, in a move that goes some of the way towards enacting long-delayed Bush-era cuts.In a press release sent out late on Friday, the Pentagon said the number of brigade combat teams in the continent – which normally count for 4,000 soldiers each – would come down from four to three in 2015. That is the year when forces in Afghanistan are supposed to take the lead from Nato in the war in their country, where many of the troops from the BCTs have been deployed.Although the army said it had not yet decided which unit would be pulled out of Europe, it is likely to be one of two based in Germany – the 170th Brigade Combat Team in Baumholder or the 172nd Infantry Brigade based in Grafenwoehr.It comes despite congressional testimony last year from James Stavridis, the admiral who commands US forces in Europe, who said the four BCTs were “critical” to US interests. Richard Lugar, the senior Republican senator, has also questioned the administration’s plans, arguing in a recent letter to the Pentagon that the US’s “forward deployed military presence in Europe remains a principal manifestation of America’s ... commitment to Nato allies, especially at a time when many Nato allies have questioned US engagement on the European continent”.The decision continues a US drawdown from the continent that has seen a force of 300,000 during the cold war fall to fewer than 80,000 today. It also fits in with Mr Obama’s argument that the country’s allies should take greater responsibility for regional security, as in the case of the Nato operation in Libya.Read the full story here.

US criticizes 'human rights violations' in Turkey.Unlawful killings, poor prison conditions, excessively long trials and limits on freedom of expression are among the alleged human-rights violations in Turkey that the U.S. State Department denounced in a recent report.“Security forces committed unlawful killings; the number of arrests and prosecutions in these cases was low compared to the number of incidents, and convictions remained rare,” the State Department said late Friday in the section devoted to Turkey in its annual report on the status of human rights throughout the world.U.S. officials also commented on the recent arrests of Turkish journalists, which came too late to be included in this report, saying they would be monitored and addressed in next year’s survey.“During the year human-rights organizations reported cases of torture, beatings and abuse by security forces. Prison conditions improved but remained poor, with overcrowding and insufficient staff training,” the State Department said in its 2010 human-rights report.“The overly close relationship between judges and prosecutors continued to hinder the right to a fair trial. Excessively long trials were a problem. The government limited freedom of expression through the use of constitutional restrictions and numerous laws,” the State Department said.“Press freedom declined during the year. There were limitations on Internet freedom. Courts and an independent board ordered telecommunications providers to block access to Web sites on numerous occasions,” it said in the report. “Violence against women, including honor killings and rape, remained a widespread problem.”Hmmmm.....Erdogan ...Obama's favorite 'ally'.Read the full story here.

HT:IsraelMatzav.Can the US own an organization that does Shari'a financing?It's been nearly 30 years since I had a Constitutional Law class, but I would have thought this case would be a slam dunk.Three years ago, the United States bought a controlling interest in AIG Group because it was 'too big to fail.'AIG has a subsidiary that conducts Shari'a finance. Shari'a finance requires that a certain percentage of the subsidiary's operating revenues be donated to Islamic-approved charities. Some of those charities may support jihad, which means the conduct of 'holy war' against 'infidels' (i.e. non-Muslims).In order to determine which charities are Islamic-approved, AIG's subsidiary must employ Shari'a law experts (Islamic religious authorities) who act as the determiners of what is Islamic-law approved and what is not.The United States has a clause in the first amendment to the constitution that prohibits Congress from making any law with respect to the establishment of religion. The establishment clause has generally been interpreted to prohibit

1) the establishment of a national religion by Congress, or

2) the preference by the U.S. government of one religion over another. The first approach is called the "separation" or "no aid" interpretation, while the second approach is called the "non-preferential" or "accommodation" interpretation. The accommodation interpretation prohibits Congress from preferring one religion over another, but does not prohibit the government's entry into religious domain to make accommodations in order to achieve the purposes of the Free Exercise Clause.Can the US government via AIG hire Islamic scholars to decide to which Islamic charities donations may be made? I would think not.Read the full story here.

HT:Debka. Breach between U.S. and Saudi Arabia deepens.The recent visit by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates to Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah failed in its attempt to improve Saudi-US relations.What triggered the visit was word that the Saudis were cancelling a $60 billion order for American military hardware, and that they plan to shop elsewhere for lower prices, possibly from China or Russia.Relations between King Abdullah and President Barack Obama have been cold ever since Obama turned his back on former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Abdullah was furious that Obama had thrown Mubarak under the bus so quickly, and has not forgiven him yet.According to the newsletter:“Abdullah was harshly critical of the US presidential advisers’ counsel to the White House to withhold endorsement from Saudi military intervention in Bahrain.As long as Washington hopes to topple the Bahraini and Saudi kingdoms by promoting pro-democracy revolutions on the Egyptian pattern, why would you expect the Persian Gulf rulers to support America and treat it as an ally? he asked the US defense secretary. …King Abdullah explained that once he had realized the Obama administration had no intention of acting in consideration of the security interests of the Saudi and Gulf nations, he resolved to take their affairs into his own hands. He said he now feels free to do what he thinks necessary to advance those interests without resorting to – or even consulting with – Washington.Gates confirmed that the US did have “evidence” of Iranian meddling in the turmoil besetting Bahrain and other Middle Eastern countries, refuting the Obama administration’s public statements denying Iran was a primary factor. But this admission most probably came too late. Abdullah has set his course on a new policy that distances the kingdom from the United States. Even though Gates disagrees with Obama on the Middle East – and especially on military intervention in Libya – the Saudi monarch knows that his time is almost up at the Pentagon.”These events are consistent with the expectation that China, Pakistan and the Sunni Muslim countries will be opposed to America, India and Russia in the coming Clash of Civilizations world war.Hmmmm......How much more damage can he do to the American industry?Read the full story here.

Merkel: We will oppose ‘unilateral’ Palestinian statehood.BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday voiced her government’s opposition to a possible United Nations resolution creating an independent Palestinian state. “The Federal Republic of Germany is championing a two-state solution...Any kind of unilateral recognition does not promote this goal. This will be our position in September,” she said, during a joint press conference here with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.The Palestinian Authority is intensely lobbying the United Nations General Assembly to bypass direct Israel-Palestinian talks and recognize a Palestinian state with a UN resolution in September.After media reports about a diplomatic row in February between Netanyahu and Merkel over the peace process, both leaders showed no signs of frosty relations during their meetings.“When I talk to the prime minister, I am never put out, never irritated, “ said Merkel, continuing: [Our conversations are] “close, very candid...They are fun. Apart from being fun, they are allowing us to make progress.”She added that the strains reported in the media in February are “not a realistic portrayal of what happened” and noted that the German-Israeli relationship is “very intense and close.”Merkel reportedly accused Netanyahu then of not advancing the peace progress. According to media reports in February, Netanyahu complained to Merkel about Germany’s vote against Israel at the UN Security Council, condemning Israeli settlement construction in the disputed territories.However, Netanyahu said on Thursday the talks were “candid and open.... We consider Germany and you [Merkel] a great friend of Germany, a great champion of Israel’s security.”Merkel also stressed the importance, to her administration, of the “well-being of the State of Israel.”Iran’s drive to obtain nuclear weapons – and the lethal repression of the prodemocracy movement in the Islamic Republic – were core themes of both leaders’ statements.Merkel said Iran’s nuclear program is “more than ever a threat. Everything has to be done to prevent Iran from possessing nuclear weapons.”Netanyahu said “Tehran thinks they are immune,” and the Iranian regime must be held responsible “for the brutality to its own people... We would like to see the rest of the countries in this vast region move toward democracy.”He said he hoped the changes would lead to a democratic revolution, as in 1989 in Eastern Europe, not like the 1979 revolution that ushered in the Islamic Republic of Iran.He stressed that it is important that the changes in the Mideast region “move toward progress and modernity and not toward medievalism and theocracy.”Israel’s wish to obtain a sixth Dolphin submarine at a reduced fee from Germany was raised, and Merkel said Israel’s “comprehensive security situation” was discussed.She did not elaborate on whether Germany will sell Israel a sixth vessel.The attempts of German mediator and intelligence agent Gerhard Conrad to secure the release of Gilad Schalit from his Hamas captors was raised. Responding to Hamas’s rejection of the last offer from Conrad, Merkel said, “We have only one hope – that Gilad Schalit will be released. I wish his family and relatives nothing but the best. I met with them.”Merkel repeatedly stressed the significance of a two-state solution, placing emphasis on the “Jewish state of Israel and a Palestinian state” coexisting in a stable Mideast region. The “standstill needs to be overcome” and the “aim is the two-state solution".Hmmmm.....Lets hope she doesn't change her mind after the planned Obama dinner?Read the full story here.

HT:Aina.Iraqi Cleric Warns of Violence If U.S. Troops Don't Go.BAGHDAD (Reuters) -- Iraq's fiery anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr will "escalate military resistance" and unleash his Mehdi Army militia if U.S. troops fail to leave Iraq as scheduled this year, his aides said on Saturday.On the 8th anniversary of the day U.S. forces toppled Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad, senior Sadr aide Hazem al-Araji told tens of thousands of followers: "We say to the Black House (White House), 'we are all time bombs and the detonators are at the hands of Moqtada al-Sadr.'American troops must definitely leave our lands."Men, women and children -- many waving Iraq's black, white and red flag or singing songs -- gathered in Baghdad's Mustansiriya square to mark the occasion. The mood was festive, and vendors milled around, selling ice cream, water and juice.Some of the followers carried signs reading "Occupiers Out" and "No to America." Others burned U.S., Israeli and British flags, or draped white funeral shrouds over their shoulders -- signifying they were willing to die for their beliefs.As the crowd cheered wildly, spokesman Salah al-Ubaidi read out a speech from the influential Shi'ite cleric, warning an extension of the U.S. "occupation" would have two consequences.

"First, the escalation of military resistance work and the withdrawal of the order freezing the Mehdi Army, in a new statement issued later. Second, escalation of peaceful and public resistance through sit-ins and protests, to say that the people want the exit of the occupation," he said.Sadr is currently in Iran, a source close to him said.The warning came after visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates pressed the Iraqi government to decide if it wanted U.S. troops to stay on and help fend off a festering insurgency.Ali Mohammed, a 39-year-old government employee at the protest who had wrapped an Iraqi flag around his head, said a delayed withdrawal would trigger extraordinary violence."They must understand that our resistance now is peaceful, but it will turn into actions beyond imagination," he said.Hmmmm......Iraq a Great 'succes'.Read the full story here.

Saudi Arabia: Where the public display of bibles can lead to arrest.26 million people live in Saudi Arabia. Over 95% are Muslim and Christians make up a little more than 3% of the total population. In Saudi Arabia the practice of any other religion except fundamentalist Sunni Islam is forbidden; prohibition of professing any other religion than Islam is grounded on the belief that Saudi Arabia is holy ground. Temples, churches, pagodas are prohibited, as well as public displays of religious objects and private religious gatherings. The following is an interview with Prof. Camille Eid, journalist, author, professor at the University of Milan and expert on the Middle Eastern Churches.

You have 5000 religious police divided among 100 districts, but any Muslim can enforce the law by denouncing the individual. I spent two and half years in Jeddah; I was afraid to extend the Easter and Christmas greetings even via phone because I was afraid that someone might be listening. The religious police control everything including the bookshops because it is prohibited to sell any card with non-Muslim themes. Some years ago in the American school, a Santa Clause was almost arrested but he managed to escape through a window. It is prohibited.We have talked about discrimination. We have talked about persecution. How far can this persecution go?

To death. We have a case of the martyrdom of a Saudi girl who converted to Christianity. Her brother discovered her. She wrote a poem to Christ and she had her tongue cut, she disappeared and was later found dead. Her name was Fatima Al-Mutairi and this happened in August of 2008. In 2008 two cases of raids by the religious police saw men, women and children less than 3 years old arrested. We have many reports of torture; before they are deported to their country these Filipinos, Indians and Eritreans are tortured by the police in the prisons.Hmmmm....."The religion of Peace".Read the full story here.

Kuwait - US, Canadian teachers held after fight.Kuwaiti police arrested two US and Canadian school teachers after a bloody fist fight at a teachers housing complex in the capital, a newspaper said on Sunday.The Canadian teacher attacked the US man following an argument with the Ethiopian wife of the unnamed Canadian in Shuwaikh area in Kuwait City on Saturday, Alqabas Arabic language daily said.“It was a bloody fist fight, after which police arrested the two...police are now awaiting medical reports to assess damage before trying the two.”Source.

61 Arrested At Paris Rally Against French Full-Face Veil Ban.PARIS (AP) – Police on Saturday arrested 61 people — including 19 women — for attempting to hold an outlawed Paris protest against France’s pending ban on face-covering Islamic veils, a top police official said.Fifty-nine people were detained while trying to demonstrate at Place de la Nation in eastern Paris, as were two others while traveling there from Britain and Belgium, said Nicolas Lerner, chief of staff for the Paris police chief.The arrests come amid in a rising, if small, groundswell of controversy over Monday’s start of an official ban of garments that hide the face, which includes Muslim veils such as the slit-eyed niqab and the full face-covering burqa.Women who disobey the law risk a fine, special classes and a police record.The demonstrators rallied in defiance of a ban of the protest ordered Friday by Paris police on the ground that a Muslim group’s call for the rally was “clearly an incitement to violence and racial hatred,” said Lerner.“The demonstration was not banned because of the practice (among some Muslim women) of wearing veils, but because of the speech,” he said, adding that Jewish groups and others had planned counter-protests — raising the prospect of public disorder.Most of the would-be protesters were released after being taken to police stations, though six remained in custody — mostly on suspicion of being in France illegally, Lerner said.The two would-be protesters who had tried to arrive from Britain and Belgium were known to French authorities. Police were under existing orders to stop and expel them, if they tried to reach France, Lerner said.Lerner identified the man who had traveled from Britain as Anjem Choudary, the head of Islam4UK until it was banned earlier this year by Britain’s government for glorifying al-Qaida. Several people associated with the group have been linked to terrorist acts.The protest was called by a group known as Unicite Tawhib, which has been linked to Internet sites that call for Islam to dominate France and the world, Lerner said.Hmmmm.......The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, head of Al-Azhar, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni world.“The niqab is a tradition and has nothing to do with Islam,” said Sheikh Tantawi.Read the full story here.More here .

Saturday, April 9, 2011

The following is a BBC interview of feminist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The BBC interviewer made excuse after excuse for Islam in response to Hirsi Ali’s cogent an analysis. It seems that the agents of the BBC simply believe the taqiyya that they are fed by the Muslim establishment and take it at face value. Hirsi Ali suggests that sharia should be taken out of Islam in order that the politics that sharia brings to Islam is removed. Only then would Islam be worthy of the name religion rather than aggressive political ideology bent on the subjugation of the whole world.

The memo that 'proves aliens landed at Roswell'... released online by the FBI.A memo that appears to prove that aliens in flying saucers did land in New Mexico prior to 1950 has been published by the FBI.The bureau has made thousands of files available in a new online resource called The Vault.Among them is a memo to the director from Guy Hottel, the special agent in charge of the Washington field office in 1950.In the memo, whose subject line is 'Flying Saucers', Agent Hottel reveals that an Air Force investigator had stated that 'three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico'.The investigator gave the information to a special agent, he said. The FBI has censored both the agent and the investigator's identity.Agent Hottel went on to write: 'They were described as being circular in shape with raised centers, approximately 50 feet in diameter.'Each one was occupied by three bodies of human shape but only 3 feet tall,' he stated.The bodies were 'dressed in a metallic cloth of a very fine texture. Each body was bandaged in a manner similar to the blackout suits used by speed flyers and test pilots.'He said that the informant, whose identity was censored in the memo, claimed the saucers had been found in New Mexico 'due to the fact that the Government has a very high-powered radar set-up in that area and it is believed the radar interferes with teh controlling mechanism of the saucers'.Hmmm.....The truth is out there? Read the full story here.

HT:TheNoisyRoom.The Descent of Evil Over America.By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton.And thy face is Samantha Power… Should Obama win a second term in 2012, it is strongly rumored that Samantha Power will become our next Secretary of State with Hillary Clinton declining to serve another term. Clinton, a stalwart progressive/Marxist, was bad enough. Power, the wife of America’s Regulatory Czar Cass Sunstein, is an unapologetic anti-semite and a monster extreme. Evil has unfurled its vast wings over America and the darkness is threatening a rapid descent. If only the good die young, America’s time may have come if this event comes to fruition. Conservatives must win the election in 2012 if America is to survive as we have always known it.I hate to break it to everyone, but Glenn Beck was right once again. The Responsibility to Protect Doctrine raises it’s malevolent countenance bearing a striking resemblance to Stephen King’s horror laden thriller “It.” A chilling smile of bowel-watering ferocity is bearing down on the State of Israel.It’s like thunder and lightning as the New World Order roars to the forefront and overshadows God’s chosen people. And in a test worthy of David and Goliath, Israel will fight once again for its survival and America finds herself on the wrong side. It would seem our progressive leaders have chosen to side with the darkness rising over the Middle East.Hmmmm......And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it….Zech. 12:3.Read the full story here.

HT:BigGovernment.The Kiss-Your-Sister Budget Deal Is Finalized, but Claudia Schiffer Still Ain’t Your Sibling.There were reports about 10 days ago that the crowd in Washington reached a budget deal, for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year, with $33 billion of cuts. That number was disappointingly low. I wrote at the time that if this was a kiss-your-sister deal, we didn’t have any siblings that looked like Claudia Schiffer.I knew it was unrealistic to expect the full $61 billion, but I explained that $45 billion was a realistic target.We now have a new agreement, which supposedly is final, and the amount of budget cuts has climbed to $38 billion. So our sister is getting prettier, but she still isn’t close to being a supermodel.Now let’s look at the less desirable parts of the agreement.

o Total spending jumped by almost $2 trillion during the Bush-Obama spending binge, so a $38 billion cut is almost too small to mention.

o Left-wing organizations such as Planned Parenthood will continue to feed at the public trough, something that should be objectionable to everyone, regardless of your views on abortion.

o Obamacare is not repealed (not that I ever thought that was possible) and there is no restriction on the EPA’s unilateral assertion that is has regulatory power to implement radical Kyoto-style global warming policies.

I will have more comments this week about what happens next. Suffice to say that this was just one battle in a long war.The 2012 budget resolution, for instance, will be a key test of fiscal responsibility, but in this case the debate will be about $trillions rather than $billions. The debt limit vote will an opportunity for some much-needed reform of the budget process. And it is quite likely that there will be another potential shutdown fight when it is time to put together appropriations bills for the 2012 fiscal year, which starts October 1.Hmmmm.....It's perfectly clear by now that the only good politician is a tea party member!Read the full story here.

Muslims offended by Trinny & Susannah.Channel 10 apologizes for ads showing British fashion advisors in immodest clothing against backdrop of al-Aqsa Mosque. Newspaper ads for the "Trinny & Susannah Do Israel" show have sparked a row among Muslims, as they show the two British fashion advisors dressed in immodest clothing against the backdrop of the al-Aqsa Mosque and Western Wall. Channel 10 apologized for the incident on Wednesday evening and promised to change the ads immediately.The Islamic Movement's al-Aqsa institution association slammed Channel 10 for publishing a picture of the two women wearing strapless dresses against the backdrop of the mosque.The association released a statement saying that "the publication of such abomination against the backdrop of an image of the al-Aqsa Mosque, in order to promote a television program on fashion and clothes, is a blatant violation and a desecration of Islam's holy mosque. This is an insult to more than one and a half billion Muslims in the world." The association demanded that Channel 10 remove the ads immediately. "This is not the first time Israelis make use of pictures of the al-Aqsa Mosque, which violate the sanctity of Islam, whether with alcohol bottles or in order to promote tourism to occupied Jerusalem. We call for the immediate removal of the newspaper ads." After apologizing for the ad, Channel 10 decided to change it immediately, using PR photos instead of images of Jerusalem.Channel 10 offered the following response: "The television show has no intention of offending any religion or faith in any way. The publication of the discussed ads will be stopped immediately. "We had no intention and have no intention of hurting the feelings of Jews, Muslims, Christians or any other people. We apologize if these ads have offended any religious sentiments." Hmmmm.....Welcome toA.D. 620?Read the full story here.

HT:BigGovernment.Obama Has U.S. Over a Barrel (of oil).The world is in turmoil. In the Middle East there are uprisings, in Japan natural disasters, in Mexico blatant lawlessness, and in Europe the slow but certain death of Western Civilization at the hands of Muslims who have learned to use a combination of fear tactics and appeals to western guilt to their advantage.As a result of these things, there is international uncertainty that has caused commodities like silver, gold, and black gold (crude oil), to skyrocket in value. And although this isn’t a bad thing for investors who began stockpiling gold when it was $200 an ounce and silver when it was $14, this is an absolutely terrible thing for lower and middle class families who have to fill up the SUV with gasoline twice a week in order to get to work, church, school, and the grocers.In other words, while rising gold and silver prices may contribute to the increased wealth of a few, rising crude prices threaten to decimate the savings (and savings plans) of the many. (As I type, crude is approximately $108 a barrel, but predicted by some to go as high as $200-300 a barrel if Middle East unrest continues.)Sadly, in the midst of these rising crude prices, and the resulting higher gas prices Americans have faced at the pump, Obama has stayed the course on green energy alternatives with bans on offshore drilling and a continued refusal to broaden onshore domestic production. Remember, oil formations in North Dakota alone contain enough crude to raise that state to the status of one of “the 13 or 14 largest producing countries [in the world].” And the amount of oil lying in Alaska’s outer continental shelf (OCS) is so great that tapping into it “would make Alaska the eighth largest oil province in the world – ahead of Nigeria, Libya, Russia, and Norway.”I hate to say it folks, but Obama doesn’t want us paying cheaper prices. If he did, we’d not only be drilling in North Dakota and on Alaska’s OCS, but we’d also be constructing pipelines like the Keystone XL, “a…feed [36 inches in diameter] linking Alberta’s oil sands fields to the refineries of Texas’ Gulf Coast.” The Keystone XL would transport more oil into the U.S. each day than we currently import from either Saudi Arabia or Venezuela. (All that needs to happen to get the XL up and running is for the president to issue a directive to the State Department, but don’t hold your breath.)Obama has this nation over a barrel (of oil). The candidate who admitted that his green approach would cause energy prices to skyrocket has become the president who’s proving the veracity of his admission. As a result, we are at the mercy of the tyrants and terrorists who use OPEC to control the flow of oil into the world because our own president is denying us access to abundant resources of oil here at home.By the way, the socialist paradise called Cuba is slated to start drilling in the Gulf of Mexico soon. They anticipate having five deepwater wells in place by 2013. We, on the other hand, are still wondering if Obama is ever going to allow American companies to open new leases in the Gulf again.Hmmmm.....If he wanted to destroy America would he do anything different?Read the full story here.

Flashback: Obama pledges to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term — “I refuse to leave our children with a debt they cannot repay”

WASHINGTON (CNN) February 23, 2009 — President Barack Obama pledged Monday to cut the nation’s $1.3 trillion deficit in half by the end of his first term.He identified exploding health-care costs as the chief culprit behind rising federal deficits during a bipartisan “fiscal responsibility summit” convened to discuss ways to restore fiscal stability without deepening the recession.Meeting with the congressional leadership of both parties, as well as a range of business, academic, financial and labor leaders, Obama warned that the country cannot continue its current rate of deficit spending without facing dire economic consequences.“I refuse to leave our children with a debt they cannot repay,” he said in remarks opening the one-day summit at the White House. “We cannot and will not sustain deficits like these without end. . . . We cannot simply spend as we please.”The country, Obama argued, is already starting to face the consequences of greater deficit spending, noting that roughly one in 10 taxpayer dollars in 2008 went toward paying $250 billion in interest on the national debt.Hmmm.....What i say and what i do are two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT things.Read the full story here.

VERNUCCIO: Obama Regime administration covers up union welfare program.The Obama administration is more than a year late in releasing an important report on federal government union costs. Clauses within collective bargaining agreements require that the government pay some federal workers for union activities - using tax dollars. This practice, known as “official time,” is documented annually in the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM)Official Time Usage in the Federal Government Report. Unfortunately, the Obama administration has not released any official time statistics since taking office; 2008 is the latest information available.

According to OPM, “Official time, broadly defined, is paid time off from assigned Government duties to represent a union or its bargaining unit employees.” In other words, government agencies allow some federal employees to do union work while still being paid. This is a boon for government employee unions because they do not need to pay these workers to represent their members and can still collect dues.In 2008, federal employees logged 2,893,922 hours for union work while still receiving a paycheck from Uncle Sam. This cost taxpayers nearly $121 million for work only benefiting government unions.The 2010 report would have covered the 2009 fiscal year, the period from October 2008 through September 2009. The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) has repeatedly requested the report since December 2010 - nine months after OPM customarily released it and 14 months after the close of the fiscal year.OPM either did not respond to requests or gave ever-changing deadlines. Each month, OPM assured CEI that the report would be finished the next month. When the deadlines passed, OPM then said the report would be finished another month in the future. At no time did the agency say it was not working on the report, but did maintain the report was not completed and therefore not subject to a Freedom of Information Act request. The fact that the report is now more than a year late shows either willful nonperformance on the part of OPM or simple incompetence.OPM is not just ducking public inquiries, it is also not responding to request from Congress. Mr. Gingery’s office could not even obtain an updated report. Mr. Gingrey said of OPM’s noncompliance, “by continuously delaying the publication of information regarding union activity on official time, OPM is exhibiting a lack of transparency that will only fuel the uncertainty and distrust of Americans who demand to know where their tax dollars are being spent.”This lack of transparency highlights a larger issue affecting the Obama administration. President Obama pledged to make his administration the most open and transparent in history.” However, as the Associated Press (AP) recently reported, the president is falling far short on this promise. AP notes that Freedom of Information Act requests increased by 41,000 in 2010 to 544,360. Despite the increase, the administration responded to 12,400 fewer requests than 2009.This is a disturbing pattern, especially with respect to labor issues. Last month, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on “The Future of Union Transparency and Accountability.” Rep. Phil Roe, Tennessee Republican, stated that transparency “is now under assault by a culture of union favoritism that dominates the workforce policies of the current administration.”Indeed, union favoritism has characterized the Obama administration since Day One - from Labor Secretary Hilda Solis’s blatantly pro-union public statements to the recess appointment of former union lawyer Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board. Now add official time to that list.Hmmmm......Anyone organising Shutzstaffels?Democracy or dictatorship?Read the full story here.

HT:Persian2English.Amnesty International Calls for Investigation into Camp Ashraf Attack.Amnesty International, April 8, 2011 – The Iraqi authorities must immediately launch an independent investigation into reports that Iraqi troops killed and injured residents of a camp for Iranian exiles north of Baghdad in an unprovoked attack, Amnesty International said today.“Iraqi troops moved into the camp this morning and used excessive force against residents who tried to resist them, according to the information we have received,” said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.“This is the latest of a series of violent actions that the Iraqi government has taken against the Camp Ashraf residents, whose continuing presence in Iraq they oppose.”Clashes broke out this morning after Iraqi security forces took up positions in the camp using armoured personnel carriers and, apparently, live fire against residents who tried to resist them, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries. As yet, the number of casualties cannot be independently verified.The camp in Diyala province around 60 km north of Baghdad is home to some 3,400 Iranian exiles and refugees, including members and supporters of the banned Iranian opposition group the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI).PMOI officials told Amnesty International that due to restrictions imposed by the Iraqi government, Camp Ashraf’s medical facility does not have adequate medicines or equipment with which to deal with those reported by the PMOI to have been injured in today’s clashes.“If true, this is very worrying,” said Malcolm Smart. “Whether they like it or not, the Iraqi authorities are responsible for the security and well-being of Camp Ashraf’s residents and this includes providing access to adequate and immediate medical treatment when needed.”Video clips of the clashes that the PMOI has uploaded to YouTube appear to show Iraqi soldiers firing indiscriminately into the crowds and using vehicles to try and run others down.An Iraqi government spokesman said Camp Ashraf residents threw rocks at security forces in what he termed a “riot.” Troops did not open fire, he said, but force was used to push residents back inside the camp.Since the US ceded control of Camp Ashraf to Iraqi security forces in mid-2009, the PMOI has told Amnesty International that the constant military presence has made it difficult to access medical treatment inside and outside the camp.Hmmmm......Follow the dots....Iran ....Turkey....Iraq ....Obama.Read the full story here.

CreepingSharia.Terror-linked CAIR speaks at NY hearing on national security, asks for taxpayer money.Who let the Islamist fox is in the infidel hen house? The senate site says “invitation only” so it was either NY state Democrats who colluded with CAIR to lambast these hearings and finagle the Hamas-linked group on to the agenda or clueless Republicans ignoring the fact that CAIR is banned by the FBI and an unindicted co-conspirator to the largest terror financing conviction in U.S. history. via the CAIRorist Facebook page:

A representative of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today testified at a New York State Senate hearing on homeland security.CAIR-NY Civil Rights Manager Cyrus McGoldrick testified at a day-long hearing by the senate’s Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs, titled “Reviewing Our Preparedness: An Examination of New York’s Public Protection Ten Years After September 11.”(McGoldrick appeared on a panel with Linda Sarsour, advocacy and civic engagement coordinator for the National Network for Arab American Communities. SEE: http://www.nnaac.org/)Mastering the Islamic doctrine of taqqiya, the opportunistic sharia-pushers made two final recommendations:

1.Limit freedom of speech by silencing discussion on Islam, jihad, sharia, and groups like CAIR.

2.Waste more taxpayer money on Muslim groups who pretend to prevent Muslim youth from waging jihad.

Hmmm......."We do not want to take over your country"?Read the full story here.

Maher: “Muslims Say, ‘Look, We’re a Religion Of Peace And If You Disagree We’ll Fucking Cut Your Head Off’”.(RCP) — “All this talk of people who burn the Koran and nothing about the people who reacted in such a stupid way. We are always blaming the victim and not holding them — most Muslims, but at least a large part of Muslim culture that doesn’t condemn their people,” Bill Maher said on his show “Real Time” Friday night.“There is one religion in the world that kills you when you disagree with them and they say ‘look, we are a religion of peace and if you disagree we’ll fucking cut your head off,’” Maher said. “And nobody calls them on it — there are very few people that will call them on it.”“It’s like if Dad is a violent drunk and beats his kids, you don’t blame the kid because he set Dad off. You blame Dad because he’s a violent drunk,” Maher concluded.Maher also give his reaction to Sen. Lindsey Graham saying “free speech is great, but we’re at war comment. Maher said that comment made him “nervous.”Hmmmm.....No really?Read the full story here.

WTF?Death to the Zionist Saudis?Iranian Students Protest at Massacre of People by US-Backed Allies. TEHRAN (FNA)- Large numbers of Iranian students staged a rally in front of the UN office in Tehran to protest at the massacre of peaceful protestors in Bahrain and other Islamic countries in the region.Protestors voiced their support for Muslims in Bahrain and other Islamic countries and underlined that they will continue their support for the oppressed people in those states. The students chanted various slogans such as 'Allaho Akbar', 'Down with the USA', 'Down with the Zionist regime', 'Down with Zionist Saudis', 'Down with American-style Islam' and 'Saudi commits crimes and the UN backs it' to voice their support for people in Bahrain and other Islamic countries. The students urged the Iranian government to dispatch voluntary forces to Bahrain and in other Islamic states. They also called for formation of a fact-finding committee to pursue recent events in those countries.Hmmmm....."Lord forgive them ,for they do not know...?Read the full story here.

'We think the Craiglist Ripper may be a cop': Investigators' chilling new theory on 'smart' Long Island serial killer.The serial killer dubbed the Craigslist Ripper has a sophisticated understanding of police investigation techniques and 'may be a cop', it was claimed today. The startling new theory emerged as it was revealed the last man to see suspected victim Shannan Gilbert believes the prostitute is still alive.Officers in Long Island where four bodies of of vice girls have been dug up, are convinced the killer could be in law enforcement because.Some investigators now believe the killer's behaviour points to a man who has a deep knowledge of how police investigate serious crimes.One told the New York Times: 'He is a guy aware of how we utilise technology. Frankly, people are thinking maybe he could be a cop - either one still in law enforcement or one who has moved on.'Without question this guy is smart, this guy is not a dope. it's a guy who thinks about things.'Ms Barthelemy's body was found in deep undergrowth along Ocean parkway near Gligo Beach last December along with three others. All were covered in burlap. She had been missing for nearly two years.Read the full story here.

HT:BigPeace.What Do Jihadists Dream About When Asleep? Canadian Intelligence Service Finds Out.No, apparently its not those 72 virgins they are promised.According to a secret report just released under Canada’s equivalent of the Freedom of Information Act titled “The Role of Dreams In the Justification of Jihad,” the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) found a strong connect between what jihadists dreamed about and what they eventually did. ”Dreams provide inspirational component of the world of the jihadist,” reads the report. ”Jihadists receive divine guidance of future events and see the legitimacy of their actions in their dreams.” Infamous terrorists like Richard Reid and Zacarias Moussaoui both reportedly dreamt about the jihad acts they were about to carry out.“Dream interpretation is closely tied to religious belief in Islam,” says the report. ”Islamist extremists often report having dreams about the Prophet Muhammad or fellow mujahedin. Dreams about religious figures can inspire extremists to act.”Hmmm........Read the full story here.

Medieval justice... in the 21st Century: Woman caned in front of a baying mob for having an affair.A woman flinches as she is about to be repeatedly caned for having an extramarital affair.Irdayanti Mukhtar, 34, received nine lashes by Sharia Police for having a relationship with another man, even though she is said to be in the process of divorcing her husband.The harsh punishment was meted out in front of a crowd of 200 people outside the Al Munawwarah Mosque in Jantho, Indonesia.The jeering crowd recorded the brutal beating on their mobile phones and camcorders and shouted for more beatings in the strict Muslim city.Mukhtar had been sentenced to the punishment the previous day by a Sharia court where prosecutors said that she was guilty of being in 'close proximity' to another man.Under Sharia law the offence carries a maximum beating of nine strokes with a cane or a minimum of three.Neighbours had seen Mukhtar with the man and had barged in on her while the couple were in her bedroom, although it is unclear what they were actually doing.The mob then dragged them to the local police station to be charged.It is believed Sharia Police are also investigating a claim that Mukhtar was molested by the crowd before they took her to be charged.Shortly after the caning on Friday Mukhtar passed out and had to be taken to hospital for treatment.She was one of four people, including the man she was caught with, to be caned for extramarital affairs.Hmmmm.....Welcome to A.D. 620?Read the full story here.

HT:BigPeace.Video : Muslim Father Slits Daughters Throat 28 Times To ‘Uphold Family Honor’. Buries Her In Backyard.He says that he didn’t want his daughter living a “western life.” Then why on earth was his family living in Italy?Read and see the full 'story' here.

Egyptian Newspaper Features Two Blood Libel Articles in a Single Day .( Algemeiner ).An Egyptian newspaper featured two articles on Tuesd...

In Memory Of Alexander Munch (1948 - 2012).

Israeli Six-Day War Vet.

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Shariah: The Threat to America

This book is based on the statements of the world's leading Shariah authorities and Shariah academic scholars.

The Abuse of Holocaust Memory.

Myths of Islam

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Amanullah Khan - King of Afghanistan (1919-1929).

The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, head of Al-Azhar, the highest seat of learning in the Sunni world.“The niqab is a tradition and has nothing to do with Islam,” said Sheikh Tantawi, vowing to ban it in Al-Azhar schools.After the girl complied he insisted she should not wear it any more.“I tell you again that the niqab has nothing to do with Islam and it is only a mere custom. I understand the religion better than you and your parents.” The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar imam vowed to issue a ban against the face-veil in all schools linked to Al-Azhar.“Source

The Jewish Holocaust.

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